Redemption
by FuzzyDoom
Summary: The life of an Outcast. A Fallout 3 Fan Fic. Suggested to not read without prior Fallout 3 knowledge.
1. Chapter 1

Redemption

Prologue

Who was he? He didn't even know. In reality, he was Damon Knight, former Paladin of the Brotherhood of Steel. Then, after that, he was Damon Knight, Outcast Protector. Now, well now he is just Damon Knight, Outcast. He was exiled from the Outcasts when he went against an order from Casdin. When he was exiled, he was allowed to leave with only his AER9 Laser Rifle, his AEP7 Laser Pistol, and a suit of T-45d Outcast power armor in disrepair. Because he was generally well liked in the Outcasts, he was given rations, bottlecaps, and ammunition; at least enough to survive on. Now, being an outcast, he must live and survive on his own. That was six months ago. Six long, long months ago. Now, he is a mercenary, usually guarding Caravans as they make their trade routes across the wastelands.

Chapter One

"Wake up!" Shouted the voice. Damon was up in an instant, Laser Pistol out, ready to shoot whatever was attacking. Sadly, it was only Lucky Harith. Too bad, he wanted to kill something. "Whoa, whoa now." Said Harith, holding up his hands. "Calm down. Its just time to go. We're almost to Evergreen Mills."

Damon sighed. Evergreen Mills was the worst place for a caravaner to go. But, hey, where they have caps, a trader will sell. He holstered his Pistol and stretched, his Power Armor squeaking. It wasn't comfortable to sleep in, but he felt naked without it on.

The day proceeded to start like any other. Lucky proceeded to cook up a small meal for them before packing up and starting towards Evergreen Mills.

They had camped just out of sight of Fort Bannister. Even though neither of them had done anything to attract the Talon Merc's attention, they were both still a bit jumpy about being that close to the mercenaries. Ironically, a few came to trade as they passed south of the Fort. They sold off some junk and bought a few guns and some ammo. The entire time, their eyes never left Damon and Damon's eyes never left them.

The rest of the trip to Evergreen Mills was uneventful. The Wasteland was open and barren and nobody seemed like they wanted to be out today. There wasn't even any Mole Rats in evidence.

About midday they came within sight of Evergreen Mills. Immediately, Damon drew his rifle and scanned the horizon for threats. The raiders may need to trade but not all of them wanted to spend caps. That's where Damon comes in. Even the most bloodthirsty raider thought twice when seeing a man in full Outcast Power Armor with a Laser Rifle.

As they drew nearer to the gap in the cliffs that was the entrance, and exit, to Evergreen Mills, a group of ten raider came out to meet them. They were armed with an assortment of weapons, though most appeared to just have pistols. The local merchant, Smiling Jack, also came with them. He was probably one of the main reasons, besides Damon, that the raiders didn't attack.

"Lucky Harith! How are ya?" He called as his group drew nearer.

"Jack! How are you my friend!" He said when Jack and his raiders got closer. They shook hands. Smiling Jack's smile stopped when he looked past Harith and saw Damon.

"Now, who might that be?" The raiders had already seen Damon and were a little tense. A few were muttering to each other and making gestures with their weapons.

"Who? Oh him?" Said Harith, pointing at Damon. "He's just my guard. Isn't that right Damon?"

"As long as I get paid, I'll be whatever you want me to be." Said Damon jokingly. Even an Outcast has a sense of humor.

Smiling Jack and Harith laughed like old friends and the raiders' tension lowered a little bit.

_Well_, Damon thought, _maybe we can get through this without me having to fry somebody._

"So, what have you got today, Harith?"

"That depends, how many caps do you have Jack?" He said, earning another laugh from Jack.

They walked over to the Brahmin to look at Harith's wares, and so that Jack could sell some of his "acquired" wares, leaving Damon and the raiders to look at each other menacingly(as menacingly as Damon can look under his Power Armor).

"Well look at the big scary metal man." Said one of the raiders tauntingly. "I bet the only reason he's in that armor is because he's too big of a pansy to fight without it!" This was followed by much laughter from the other raiders. Not wanting to cause trouble, Damon kept quiet. "So, you can't talk either? I bet you won't talk because you don't want to give away that you are nothing but a little girl in Power Armor. Hey, how do you fit in such a big suit little girl?"

_This is ridiculous. At the very least he could come up with better insults_. Damon wasn't bothered by these insults in the least, partly because they could hardly be called insults, but mostly because he HAD been called much, much worse things, usually by people that had at one point been friends.

The raiders carried on with their insults once they learned that Damon would not retaliate. Finally, after what seemed like hours but must have been at most ten minutes, Lucky Harith and Smiling Jack finished trading.

"You know Jugs," Said Jack as he walked back from the Brahmin, "I bet that Damon can take you one on one."

The raider known as Jugs chuckled. "Ya, and Deathclaws can be tamed. I'll take him on, that is, if he isn't chicken." Then he proceed to do what many children in elementary school used to do: Flap his arms and cluck. Damon just laughed.

"Even though I'd raise the IQ of the planet by wiping this bug off the face of the planet, Harith is paying me, and if I don't do what he says, I don't get paid. Too bad, I wanted to kill something."

" Damon, I do feel up to a little entertainment. What the hell? Go ahead, an extra one hundred caps if you can beat him."

"Now there's a deal! Where, when, and what?" Said Damon excitedly.

"Evergreen Mills, an hour, with whatever you want."

"You've got yourself a deal." And then Damon did something he thought he'd never do: shake hands with a raider.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_Anything goes. This is going to be fun. _Thought Damon as he prepared for the big fight. It was to be held in a giant cage (this was before the behemoth was captured) and the cage wasn't that big. It was also completely open. Harith had even volunteered to let Damon use any of the weapons he had on him for the fight. Jack had done the same for Jugs.

Damon decided to just get it over with so he chose things he was good with: his Laser Rifle and Laser Pistol as his weapons along with his Power Armor. Just in case, he took a combat knife to.

When the fight was about to get underway, all the other raiders took up positions around the cage to watch the fight. Damon could hear the bets being called out. He chuckled when he heard his odds at 1:3.

When he entered the cage he saw that Jugs was already waiting there. Jugs had equipped himself with what looked like a Chinese Assault Rifle, a ten millimeter pistol, and his normal leather armor.

Another raider got up on the cliffs and started talking through a loudspeaker. "Ladies and Gentlemen! Raiders and Slaves! Here today in this great place we call home, we have a fight about to be underway. It is between our very own Jugs," At the mention of Jugs' name, the entire camp went up in a roar. "and Lucky Harith's guard, Damon!" Damon swore he heard crickets chirping, which is funny because there were no more crickets. "Now, without further waiting, FIGHT!"

Damon quickly pulled out his Laser Rifle and was going to win easily, the 5.56 ammo that Jugs' Chinese Assault Rifle used could hardly penetrate Damon's armor unfortunately, the same couldn't be said about Damon's Laser Rifle and Jugs' Leather Armor.

He brought the gun up and fired at Jugs' head in one quick motion and Jugs cringed in fear. Nothing happened. Horrified, Damon pulled the trigger again. Still nothing. _Oh shit! I forgot to clean the focusing crystal!_

"And there, folks, you see why cleaning your weapons is of the upmost importance!" Said the announcer, followed by chuckles from the crowd.

The gun useless, Damon jumped out of the way of Jugs' shots -he might get lucky and have a bullet penetrate- and dropped his Laser Rifle and drew his Pistol. He took aim and fired at Jugs' arm, trying to make him drop his gun. The laser hit Jugs' arm and left a giant burn, but somehow Jugs' did not release the gun. On the contrary, he kept firing as if nothing had happened. Bullets started to hit the sand next to Damon, with a few actually pinging off of his armor.

_What the hell? That was dead on, I can see the burn from here!_

"Oh, nice shot, too bad Damon didn't know that Jugs had popped some Med-X before the fight!" Damon heard laughter all around.

_Med-X? Well, let's see if it helps him see when his eye balls are boiling!_ At that instance, Damon brought up the pistol and fired four expertly place shots on Jugs' head. All four hit and when Jugs opened his mouth to shout in pain, Damon put another expert shot right down his throat. _Pow, right in the kisser!_ Damon laughed as he remembered that phrase that had been on a holotape he had once heard.

Jugs fell over, dead or dying Damon couldn't tell. The crowd fell silent as Damon walked right up to Jugs and put another shot, at point-blank range, into Jugs' head just to be sure. The body spasmed in the sand then went limp. _So, he had lived._ Damon felt bad about taking a helpless man's life. Then he got over it as he realized that Jugs had probably done it before, and for fun.

Even the announcer was speechless. Finally, he was able to say: "I don't believe it folks. Jugs is dead. Damon has won," He paused. Holding back tears, he continued,"so, pl...please allow Damon to go and collect your bets if you placed them."

Damon holstered his pistol and picked up his rifle before exiting the cage. Outside, all he got from the raiders were glares. Even the few who had bet for him stared at him with undisguised malice. He walked over to Lucky Harith who quietly congratulated him.

"Well well Damon, it seems like you can fight! Harith is lucky to have ya guarding him!" Cried Smiling Jack as he walked up to the pair. "Now," he said quieter, "I suggest you leave before my companions decide that they want to have go at you. Unfortunately for you, I don't think they'd want to do it one on one."

"Yeah Harith, lets go." Said Damon.

As they were making their departure, they were halfway out before Damon heard a sound that he didn't want to ever hear: the whine of a minigun preparing to fire. He grabbed Harith and threw him on the ground and got on him to try and shield his body with his armor. Oddly, the 5mm rounds flew from outside of the canyon. Not from the inside as Damon had expected. He looked up and saw something that turned his blood to ice: A group of Super Mutants with a Behemoth in tow.

_What. The. Fuck._ Thought Damon as the mutants started advancing.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Damon had to act quickly. He rolled with Harith under one of the train cars and waited for the mutants to go past. Lucky Harith almost cried out when the Behemoth went right up to his Brahmin and bit its head off before just dropping it back down onto the ground.

"Bessy..." Whispered Lucky Harith.

Damon's mind was racing. He couldn't stay and fight, there were too many, and besides, his Laser Rifle didn't work. Also, it was just a bunch of raiders. If they died it would probably be better for the world anyways.

His mind made up Damon slid out from under that cars and motioned Harith to follow him, quietly.

"Damon," He whispered. "We can't just leave them here! They'll all die!"

Damon turned around angrily, at least as far as Harith could tell. "Good!" He almost shouted. "Their just a bunch of fucking raiders anyways! Who gives a shit? Besides, even if I wanted to help I don't have a weapon to do it with!"

Lucky Harith looked down in defeat. As much as he hated to admit it, Damon was right. "Let's go."

They fled into the coming darkness as the raiders' screams of pain and agony continued on behind them.

After a fitful night of half-sleep, the pair returned to Evergreen to see what had become of the raiders. Damon chose for them to go the long way around so that theyhe could get on the cliffs and scout out the area.

After about a hour of hiking, they got to a good position. Damon asked Harith for a gun with a scope, before remembering that Harith had lost his Brahmin. Luckily, Lucky Harith happened to be carrying a Scoped .44 Magnum.

"Thanks." Said Damon as he took the pistol and looked through the scope.

On the floor there were nothing but bodies. A large group of raider bodies were located in one area. _That must've been where they were when the minigun opened up._ Halfway to the factory, some Super Mutant bodies started showing up. _At least they got a few. _He was about finished surveying the area when he saw something move slightly down by the factory. It came out into the sunlight and showed itself. It was the Behemoth.

"God damnit! Can't we get a break?" Said Damon. He had planned on looting the entire camp before moving on.

"What?"

"The Behemoth is still there!"

"Of course..." Harith had plans to salvage too.

They were turning away when Damon got a bright idea.

"The cage..." He said. An idea coming to him.

"What?" Ask Harith, confused.

"We could trap him in the cage! Its big enough and its electrified, all we have to do is get him in there then get out and turn the power on!" Damon was pleased with himself for coming up with such a great idea.

"Great, so, how do we do that?" Well, Damon had been pleased with himself.

"How about..." Damon racked his head for ideas. For once, though, Harith came up with one.

"I could stand by the generator, and when you run in, he chases you then you run your ass out of there and I pull the switch...after you close the gate of course." He added with a smile.

"It's a plan!" Said Damon, thinking that he might actually get some loot from this after all.

And so they took off. They had to trek all the way back around to the entrance, and then from there they had to start sneaking. Damon wasn't any good at sneaking, and his power armor constricted him, on top of it squeaking. _I've got to start repairing my stuff. _He thought. In the excitement, he had forgot even to clean his rifle.

Somehow, they got to the generator without the Behemoth noticing. On the contrary, the Behemoth seemed preoccupied with the factory. _Either there are raiders in there or more Super Mutants. _This was the first time that he was hoping for raiders.

"Go. Just shoot at him and get in there. I'll be right here." Said Harith.

"Hold on." He said. He went and got a raiders body and propped it up on the other side. "Okay. Be ready." They shook hands and then parted.

Damon had his part planned out. He walked right out into the open and took aim with his Laser Pistol. His shot connected dead on with the Behemoth's skull. It gave out a shout of pain before searching for its assailant. Surprisingly, Damon had to fire two more shots before it located him. _These things are dumb. _He thought as he took off towards the cage. _This should be easy. _Then something unexpected happened.

Turns out, there were raiders still in the factory, and they had no clue what was going on. A few of them decided to come out and take on the Behemoth, effectively ruining Damon and Harith's plan. The Behemoth turned to take on the new, and closer, threat.

"No! Get back inside!" Yelled Damon. "We have a plan!"

The raiders, being raiders, stupidly stayed and continued to shoot at it with their inadequate pistols. All the Behemoth did was pick one up and throw it at the others, knocking down two of them who were then stomped on.

Damon had to get control of the situation. He started running towards the Behemoth before he stepped on something that rolled out from under his foot and caused him to fall. When he looked at what he had stepped on, he was delighted to see a grenade. _Excellent! _He thought. He wasn't exactly proficient with explosives, but he wasn't aiming for a small target. He picked it up, aimed, pulled the pin, and threw it with all his might.

The grenade flew through the air and hit the Behemoth in its head. It bounced off its thick skull before exploding down by the chest, leaving multiple puncture wounds. The beast never stopped moving though. It refocused on Damon and ran faster than he thought possible.

"Oh shit!" He yelled as he started running back towards the cage. "Oh shit. Oh shit." He continued to whisper under his breath. "GET READY!" He shouted as he gets close to the cage.

He rounded the corner and got into the shadows. The Behemoth came around the corner only second later. Seeing the raider body, thinking it was Damon, it charged in only to find a dead body. It turned around to get out, only to see the door shut. Harith pulled the switch, turning the power on. The Behemoth tried to open the door but got severely shocked. It tried a few more times before it learned that it couldn't get out.

They looked at each other before shouting with glee: "We did it!"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The behemoth defeated, the two decided to start towards the mill and see who had survived. Remembering that they were raiders, they decided against actually going inside the building, instead just standing outside and shouting.

"Hey!" Cried Damon. "The Behemoth is dead! It's just us!" When the mill still showed no further signs of life, the pair started to turn around and start looting the corpses.

"My friends!" A voice shouted just as they had turned around. Turning back around, they saw Smiling Jack, holding his custom shotgun, walk out with about a half dozen raiders following him, all scanning their surroundings for any sign of danger.

"Jack!" Said Harith, shaking his hand as he walked up to the group. "I knew you'd survive. You never seem to die."

"That's a good thing and I don't plan on changing it. So," he said looking at Damon."a good fighter _and_ a good thinker. I only wish some of these people could be half as competent." He said while motion at the bodies that the Behemoth had squished. "Oh, and Harith, sorry about your Brahmin. If it makes you feel any better, there is usually a wild herd of Brahmin to the East of here, which is the direction you're going anyways, right?"

"Ya, we're heading to Megaton." He said, completely blowing any secrecy they had going for themselves.

"Harith!" Whisped Damon harshly into Lucky Harith's ear. "Now they know where we are going and probably what route we are taking! If they wanted to they could ambush us!"

"Oh don't work so much Damon!" He whispered back. "For one, Jack wouldn't let them. And two, Jack used to be a caravaner to! I actually use his old route."

"Whatever. It just seems to me like you are putting a little too much trust into a raider."

"Hey, are you two done having your little conversation?" Said Jack. "Or do I have to assume that you are plotting against me?" He added jokingly.

"Actually," Said Damon with a smile under his helmet. "we are. I just haven't figured out how best to cook up your remains after I kill you."

Some of the raiders looked like they were ready to bolt now.

"What?" He said after seeing their faces. "Can't take a joke?"

This relaxed a few of them. Damon loved messing with raiders, when he wasn't killing them, that is.

"Okay," Said Lucky Harith finally. "We'd better be off before Damon gives one of your men a heart attack. Hope you don't mind if we loot the bodies?"

"Boys, do you mind if Damon and Harith loot those bodies?" Asked Jack. All it took was for Damon to slightly move his hand towards his pistol before they were all shaking their heads. "That settles it! Just make sure you leave me something!"

Without a Brahmin, Damon was stuck carrying all of the weapons they found. Fortunately, all they found were some 10mm pistols and one Assault Rifle. Then they went over to Harith's dead Brahmin, Bessy.

"Well old girl, you were good while you lasted but everything has to die some day."

"So true..." Replied Damon sadly.

Harith could tell he hit a nerve, so to change Damon's thoughts, he had him get to work on picking up all the guns he had.

"Well, since I'm doing this, how about you repair my Laser Rifle for free? Oh." He added. "would you mind putting that scope from your magnum on there?"

"Well...why not." Said Harith. "But it'll mean you don't get that extra hundred caps."

"Worth it." And with that, Damon started picking up the weapons so that they could leave.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

_Finally. _Thought Damon as the ruins of Springvale came into view. The sight of Springvale meant that Megaton was just over the next hill. Careful to avoid the raider infested school, they made their way through the town. A lone eyebot was floating through, broadcasting its message of the Enclave and how they were going to save the Wasteland and destroy the mutants. _Bull. _He thought again. He used to destroy the things but when their numbers never seemed to drop, he stopped wasting ammo.

The trek from Paradise Falls had gone smoothly. They had found Lucky Harith a new Brahmin, a big strong bull, and had come away from it with more caps and weapons then Harith had before the trip. Overall, a good trip considering what had happened.

Within a hundred feet of the city's gate, things took a turn for the worse. Ten raiders popped up seemingly from the rocks, all heavily armed with Assault Rifles and Combat armor. These guys were no joke.

"Stop your ass right there!" Yelled one, the leader of the group based on how the others backed off from him as he came forward. _He isn't even phased by my Power Armor. _Damon thought, astonished. "Y'all are going to back away from the Brahmin of yours and let us have at that loot. If not..." He held up a grenade.

Damon's hand started towards his rifle before the raider took a hold of the pin. "I don't think so. Touch it, and this here 'nade kills the trader, the Brahmin, and quite possibly, you, my Power Armored friend." He said with a smile, showing his sharp yellow teeth.

Damon knew when he was defeated and he started backing away from the Brahmin, pulling Harith with him. A shot rang out and Damon cringed, thinking that it was from one of the raiders. Then the grenade went off, an altogether unexpected event. The resulting explosion took out the lead raider and seven of the other ones. _One more reason not to stand close to explosives. _Thought Damon as a whipped his rifle around and aimed at one of the raiders. He easily dispatched him while the other run started running, only to be hit by whoever had the gun that had shot the grenade.

"You guys okay?" Yelled a voice that Damon had never heard. On the other hand, Harith had.

"Stockholm, is that you!?" Said Harith, running up to the gate. "You bastard! I had totally forgot about you. Took your time didn't you?"

Stockholm grinned. "And miss out on my all time hight score? Eight raiders with one shot. I bet your Outcast friend couldn't even do that! Besides, I had the leader's head in my sights the entire time. If I had missed that grenade, it would of hit him square in the head!"

"I may not be able to that," Said Damon, speaking up for the first time. "but I bet I can take you one on one."

"Maybe I'll take you on later. Right now, I'm going back to guarding the gate."

"Before we go," Said Harith. "whatever happened to Deputy Weld?"

"He's down for maintenance If only we had a Sentry Bot..." He added to himself.

"And so you didn't get Deputy Steel out here?"

"Somebody has to guard the armory!"

"Whatever." Grumbled Harith to himself. "Come on Damon. I want a drink. I'll pay you at Moriarty's."

Damon shivered. Moriarty was the biggest son of a bitch he'd ever met. Sadly, he also owned the only bar in Megaton. And there was Nova... Damon smiled to himself.

As they went through the gate, Damon once again saw what had to be the most ramshackle town ever made. And yet, it had everything a town could need or want. If only that Vault would open up and let some people in. The last time that had happened had been about fifteen years before. Right after... Damon shook his head. No need to day dream.

They took the nearest right and then proceeded to walk across the metal walkways until they were at Moriarty's. Simms was waiting for them.

"So, what were those gunshots outside about?" He said matter-of-fact like.

"Just some raider scum." Replied Damon.

"I see. I'll make sure that Deputy Weld gets fixed faster. Can't have raiders outside our front gate. Especially if they bother one of our best traders." He said looking at Harith. He never did like Damon. Maybe it was the way Damon had challenged him when they had first met. He had still been in the Brotherhood back then. If he hadn't of been, him and Simms would have gotten in a fight. His squad mates had held him back though. "Have a good day Harith." And he walked off, purposely bumping into Damon.

Harith looked at Damon questioningly, but when he never gave an answer, he let it slide and walked into Moriarty's bar with nothing else said.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Moriarty's was filled with smoke, a very unusual thing considering how rare cigarettes were, but with the little ventilation the pub had, Jericho alone could smoke up the bar. Through the smoke he saw Moriarty, Gob, Nova, Jericho, and a few other Megaton residents that he didn't know talking and drinking.

"Why, lookie who's here." Said Moriarty as he came out of the back room. "If it isn't Lucky Harith and who could only be Damon. Nova!" He said, turning towards the prostitute. "Get the room ready for your best customer."

Nova smiled as she walked past Damon. "Hi Damon." Damon was a regular of hers. His head followed her as she went up the stairs.

Damon and Harith set down at the bar. Gob came over and asked what they wanted to drink. Damon didn't particularly liked Gob, or any other Ghouls for that matter. He had nothing against them but they just looked like something you should shoot, not that he'd shoot a non-feral ghoul for no reason. He wasn't a bigot.

"Nothing right now, Gob." Said Harith. "I have to pay Damon first." Gob walked away to tend to the other customers and Harith turned to Damon. "Okay. I hate to see you go but it's your choice. If you ever need caps, you know my route. So," He said as he opened his bag of caps. "it's five hundred for guarding, you can keep the knife for twenty-five, you don't get the extra hundred because of the scope and the cleaning. That leaves you with four hundred and seventy-five caps." Harith counted them out and dumped them into Damon's bag. "Don't spend them all with Nova." He said with a wink.

"Thanks Harith. I'll come get you if I need more caps." With that they shook hands. Harith and him talked for a few more minutes before Harith said his goodbye and went out to set up his caravan.

With that taken care of, Damon ordered some Whiskey. Taking off the helmet to take a drink, he gave full view of his face. He had mid-length brown hair with the front coming down to right above his crystal-clear blue eyes and the bottom of the neck in the back. After downing half of the bottle, he went up to give Nova a visit.

_It's the same scene as always. A city on fire. Screams come from the city as its inhabitants are either killed in the fire or by the Outcasts. All because they wouldn't give up some Mk. II Power Armor that they had found. The death of twenty men, women, and children for two sets of slightly more advanced Power Armor. Thought Damon. It was horrible. There was no reason for them all to die. Hell, they could've just done what the people had asked and cleared out the raiders. Five Outcasts and a Sentry Bot against seven raiders with some pistols and pipes would've been easy. Sadly, they couldn't. So they killed and they looted, taking whatever technology they found. Some even took things that didn't have any technological value. Damon sat back and watched in horror and disgust at something that he couldn't stop._

He awoke in a cold sweat. Nova was still asleep next to him, her naked body touching his. No matter how much he drank, or how much he pleasured himself in various ways, the dream always happened. Except that it wasn't a dream. It was a memory, a memory that he did not ever want to remember. He looked over at his Power Armor, at the emblem in particular, in shame. Those people had not needed to die, but they did. _And for what? Just so that we might've had a chance at recreating some slightly more advanced Power Armor? _He thought to himself. It hadn't been worth it. He took a swig of the leftover whiskey. The past was the past and he'd have to live with the consequences, hoping at a chance at redemption to come along at some point. He'd been hoping that for six months, and it still hadn't happened.

Getting out from under the covers, his body was revealed in the light. He was tall and skinny at six feet with tough, sinewy muscle. Glancing back at Nova, he decided that he'd go down and get something to eat. He took one last swig of the whiskey before donning his Power Armor and weapons. After leaving a hundred caps on the table -he got a discount of twenty caps- he went downstairs.

As he came down the stairs, he saw something that he did not expect, or want, to see. Two people in Outcast Power Armor.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Damon just stood there on the stairs, looking at the Outcasts, a million thoughts flying through his head. _Are they here to kill me? Are they even looking for me? Do they know me? Do I know them? _Were just a few that were bouncing around in his head, trying to make it to the forefront of his mind. Finally, after what seemed like hours, but had only been seconds, one of the Outcasts noticed him and turned in his direction. They smacked their hand on their friend's shoulder and pointed. The other one looked up at Damon. There was something familiar about his armor.

"Damon?" Called out the second Outcast in a voice that Damon recognized.

"Jacob?" Replied Damon, amazed. So there had been something that he'd remembered.

Jacob got up and came over to give Damon a hug, an awkward thing to do in Power Armor but, was necessary Damon and Jacob had been as close as brothers. Sadly, they had had to part ways when Damon was exiled.

"What are you doing here?" Damon asked after the hug. "And who's your partner?" He said, looking past Jacob and at the other Outcasts.

"Oh, no one you need to remember." Said a distinctly feminine voice.

"Holy shit, is that you Jessica?" He said in disbelief.

"In the Power Armor." And with that the two hugged. The two had been just as close as him and Jacob. "So, Damon, what _have _you been doing with yourself? I hear you are guarding the caravans now." She said teasingly.

"Only because I need the caps."

"Sure," she said, rolling her eyes underneath her helmet. "I think he's gone native on us Jacob."

"Yeah, you been bangin' two stone together Damon?"

"Okay guys, that's not funny." He said seriously. "These people may not have our tech but they're humans just like us."

"Sure, especially that Ghoul over there, right?" Asked Jessica, mockingly.

"Gob," He said gesturing towards the ghoul. "is no different than you and me besides his appearance. Put him in Power Armor and you'd never know he was a Ghoul."

"Oh shit!" Almost yelled Jacob. "You _have _gone local on us!" With that he patted Damon's shoulder, laughing. "Don't worry man, we're here to take you back."

"Take me back? Back where?" Damon said, now thoroughly confused.

"Why, back to Fort Independence of course! Casdin said that you can come back!" Exclaimed Jessica in glee.

"What?" Asked Damon confused. "Why would he take me back?"

"Because," Said another Outcast that had come through the door. "he said that he was too harsh. Besides, it's just not the same without you." Damon recognized this voice also.

"Reece? How many of you guys are here?" He said, having temporarily forgotten about their proposal.

"Just us. Oh, and Johnny, but he's above the town with his sniper, providing intel. Johnny," Said Reece into a headset in his helmet. "we've found Damon. Anything to report?"

Damon could hear the response but couldn't make out what was said. Obviously it was good because Reece nodded. "Okay, keep me posted."

"Are you guys being followed or something?" Damon questioned.

"No, but there's no point in not being prepared. Something I hear that you weren't when you got here."

"Okay, there's a story behind that." The old friends all sat down and exchanged all that had happened in the past six months, their proposal all but forgotten.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

They had all been in the same squad. Protector Reece Wolf had been the squad leader with Damon Knight as his second in command. Defender Jessica Mills, usually Jess or Jessy to the others, was their medic and lock picker. Defender Jacob, Jake, Hill was their big guns and computer expert. Defender Johnathan, Johnny, Bell was their Special Ops. He was their sniper and their intel source. Even though those were their specializations, each and every one of them could fill in, if only to a smaller degree, if need be. Together, they had been the Outcasts' equivalent, if not superior, to the Lyon's Pride. They had been Wolf Pack.

The members of Wolf Pack talked for at least a few hours. Johnny even came down after an hour or two of listening. Most of them drank, which required them to take their helmets off, giving Damon his first look at their faces in over six months, even though he never forgot them.

Reece had brown eyes below his short brown hair. He wasn't particularly handsome, nor was he ugly, he was, if anything, above average in looks. Under his armor, his body was skinny and full of muscle. Jessica, on the other hand, was stunning. Long black hair that spilled down to her shoulders with piercing green eyes. Under her armor, she had an amazing body. Even though she was basically his sister, Damon was a man and couldn't resist looking. Jacob was Latino in background and had short black hair and brown eyes. His body was, like all the others, skinny and full of sinewy muscle. He was not bad to look at, if you were a women, anyways. Johnny had short blonde hair and bright blue eyes. His skin was pale white because he almost never took off his Power Armor. He had the least amount of muscle out of them all but made up for it by being the best shot in the entire group.

Finally, after getting all caught up, they became serious again.

"So Damon," Began Reece. "we really do need you back. Like I said, it's not the same without you."

"Yeah." Said all the others in unison. Wolf Pack had been as close as family and it felt as if something was missing when one was gone.

"I don't think I can. Not after what happened." Damon said. Remembering the Night.

"Damon," Said Jessica, putting her arm on his shoulder. "None of us liked what we had to do that night, but it was essential. The Specialists have told us that they are close to replicating the armor! They've already improved most of our Power Armors to make them more protecting and less constricting! Don't you see Damon? What happened that night was a good thing!"

"The ends do not justify the means." Said Damon quietly. "None of those people had to die. All we had to do was kill a small group of raiders. Would that have been to hard? Was it worth _killing_ twenty innocent people?" Everybody remained silent. "Well, was it?" He almost shouted. Still no one would talk. "I thought so. They never had to die. Some of you even looted some of their valuables afterwards!" The horrors of what happened that night were coming back to Damon even more vividly than in his dreams.

"Damon," Jessica began again.

"No Jess, just no. Nothing, and I mean _nothing_, you say will make me think that night was worth it."

"So," Reece said. "is that your answer? You're just going to say no? After all we've been through!" Reece was angry now. "Sure what we did was wrong, but it was also necessary! Think about how we feel! You're basically family Damon and family doesn't leave family!"

"What about those families?" Said Damon, again quietly. "What about them, huh?"

"They should've just given us the Power Armor and let us be on our way."

"That's not the point."

"Then what _is_ the point Damon?"

"They were people. Human beings just like you and me and they did not deserve to die!" Damon stood up and put on his helmet. "Until you guys can see that, family or not, I will not join back up with the Outcasts."

With that, he left. None of them tried to stop him because they all knew that it was futile. As much as it pained them, they knew that he wouldn't come back unless he wanted to.

Damon walked out into the receding sunlight, his head spinning. He wanted nothing more but to be back with the Outcasts, among his closest friends, but he couldn't go through what happened a second time and stay sane. He was sad for having turned them away, but he just couldn't do it again. He needed a drink and some sleep. Too bad he couldn't go back inside.

He left Megaton and decided to head to Rivet City. As he walked off, Wolf Pack watched him fade into the darkness.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Damon was conflicted. Since leaving Megaton, he had made his way across the wasteland, second guessing his decision not to join back up with the Outcasts. Whenever he convinced himself that it was a good idea, though, flashes of the Night occurred to him and strengthening his resolve. He would _not _go back to the Outcasts unless they changed their ways. He had even fantasized about going back to the Brotherhood too. But he thought that the way they did their job was even worse than the Outcasts. They were fighting, and losing, a war against an enemy that they couldn't win against without support from the West and the new technology that they could get if they looked for it like they were supposed to. A noble cause. Doomed, but noble. It was, in fact, the reason he had left for the Outcasts. And so he warred with himself in the confines of his mind. This is also the reason that he almost stumbled into a full blown firefight.

He'd barely heard the gunfire before he was suddenly in a mini-war between some Super Mutants and a few Brotherhood members. The four Knights were armed with Laser Rifles. They wouldn't be enough to stop the ten Super Mutants bearing down on them, two with Miniguns. One of the mutants saw him and took aim with its Hunting Rifle. It fired and the bullet pinged off his armor. He couldn't hope for another one to bounce off. He drew his rifle and took aim through his new scope. It gave him a perfect view of the mutie's head, which he burned with some well placed shots.

He saw some of the Knights look his way and then rally to help him. Suddenly, the mutants found themselves being out fought. Both of the minigunners went down and the other surviving five retreated, beaten. But that wasn't the end of it. If you remember, the Brotherhood and the Outcasts aren't on good terms at the time. This didn't change matters. The Knights aimed their weapons at him and advanced.

"Why lookie here." Said one of them. "A lonely Outcast. What should we do with him David?"

"We aren't supposed to fight them. We don't want to start a war between the Brotherhood and the Outcasts."

"I know. But it'll just look like the Muties got 'em."

"I don't want to cause any trouble." Said Damon. "I'm not even an Outcast."

"So," Replied the one who must be David. "if you're not an Outcast, how did you get their armor? They don't exactly hand out their Power Armor to locals."

"I..." Damon had to think fast. They might shoot him if he admitted to ever being an Outcast. "I found a dead patrol. A Deathclaw got them. Took their weapons too. It's a dog eat dog world out here."

The leader David, probably a Paladin, seemed to ease a little as he thought through the story. "Okay." He said finally. "I doubt that an Outcast would come into the ruins, alone or not. Sorry for the mistake...?"

"Damon." Said Damon, pleased that he wasn't going to have to kill anyone that he didn't have to. They holstered their weapons and shook hands.

"You're a good shot Damon. You should look in to joining the Brotherhood. We could always use quality recruits. You'll also get your own set of Power Armor." He paused and looked at Damon's armor. "In better repair too. Though that paint job kicks ass..." He added to himself.

"I'll think about it."

"You do that. Come on boys, we have to get to the Citadel. You take care Damon." With that the Knights headed north towards the Citadel, leaving Damon to watch them go, thankful to have averted bloodshed. With this incident over, he proceeded onwards to Rivet City, more careful about mutants now.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

_Can't I get a break? Just. One. Fucking. BREAK!_ Thought Damon as three different miniguns chewed away at his cover. He was in sight of River City, indeed, maybe even just a few hundred yards away, and here he was, pinned down by some Super Mutants that had come out of no where! Damon heard a _tink tink_ as a grenade bounced on the concrete right next to him. Quickly, he grabbed the grenade and chunked it with all of his might back at the Muties. He never figured out how what happened next actually happened.

He heard a Mutant say, "Ow!" before an explosion went off, shortly followed by three more explosions. The miniguns having stopped, Damon peeked over the concrete divider that he was hiding behind. The street was covered in blood and gore, pieces of the Super Mutants were everywhere. He walked over to what he thought were their bodies to try and figure out what had happened. There was nothing there that he could tell that had caused the explosions. _Maybe they had more grenades on them, or a rocket launcher? _Puzzled, but pleased, Damon walked north towards River City.


End file.
